The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of oakleaf Hydrangea plant, botanically known as Hydrangea quercifolia, and hereinafter referred to by the name xe2x80x98Vaughn""s Lilliexe2x80x99.
The new Hydrangea originated from a cross by the Inventors of two unnamed selections of Hydrangea quercifolia, not patented. The cultivar Vaughn""s Lillie was discovered and selected by the Inventors in 1994 as a single plant within the progeny of the stated cross in a controlled environment in Rabun Gap, Ga. The new Hydrangea was selected on the basis of its compact plant habit, large showy sterile inflorescences, and long flowering season.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by cuttings taken at Rabun Gap, Ga., since 1994, has shown that the unique features of this new Hydrangea are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.
Plants of the cultivar Vaughn""s Lillie have not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, light intensity, daylength, irrigation amount and frequency, and fertilizer type and rate without, however, any variance in genotype.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of xe2x80x98Vaughn""s Lilliexe2x80x99. These characteristics in combination distinguish xe2x80x98Vaughn""s Lilliexe2x80x99 as a new and distinct cultivar:
1. Compact growth habit.
2. Short internodes.
3. Large conical to rounded inflorescences.
4. Showy white-colored sepals.
5. Long flowering period.
Compared to plants of the parent selections, plants of the new Hydrangea are more compact and have much shorter internodes.